Category: Mamata Pandya

Continuing Celebrations: Chinese Spring Festival

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

As most are surfacing after celebrations that ushered in a new calendar year 2025, it is continuing celebrations for a large population to welcome another new year. This is the Chinese New Year which begins on 29 January this year. This follows the lunar calendar which is based on the 28-day cycle of the moon. The New Year is calculated according to the second new moon after the winter solstice, and this year it fell on 29 January. The New Year day is, in fact, the start of a fifteen-day  celebration which is known as the Spring Festival in China. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th day. Each day has a special significance and is marked with its set of traditional rituals, lore, and celebration which involve the whole families.

New Year shopping in a traditional Chinese market

For some families, the preparations for the longer festival begin even earlier, on the eighth day of the 12th month of the lunar calendar, with a festival called Laba. The name is derived from the Chinese words for the 12th month (La) and 8 (Ba). Traditionally the festival also marked the start of the agricultural calendar. On this day prayers are offered to ancestors and gods for fortune and a good harvest. Laba congee, a porridge containing different types of rice, beans, dried nuts, bean curd and meat is eaten.

This marks the beginning of the preparations for the lunar New Year which include cleaning the house by “sweeping away the dust”, shopping for food, new clothes, buying fireworks, preparing gifts and decorations, and prayers to the stove god.

The decorations include red lanterns, paper cuttings, and red spring couplets. The couplets are complementary poetic lines which adhere to certain rules. The spring couplets are written in black ink on red paper, one half affixed vertically on each side of a door, and usually express best wishes for the coming year. Putting up those decorations is thought to keep evil away, and a prayer for blessing, longevity, health, and peace.

Finally it is New Year’s Eve. This is considered as, if not more important than, New Year’s day. The highlight is the family reunion dinner which includes several generations, many who travel long distances to be together for this family gathering. Before they eat, the family makes offerings including food, wine, joss sticks and joss paper to their ancestors.

The dinner menu includes dishes which have symbolic meaning including whole fish, dumplings, sticky rice cake, and spring rolls. After dinner, parents usually give their children money in red envelopes. This is believed to bring good luck, and carry wishes for health, growth, and good studies in the coming year. The family stays up until midnight to usher in the New Year, a tradition called shousui (to keep watch over the year). The start of the New Year is announced with firecrackers and fireworks. It is believed that the louder the firecrackers, the better and luckier it will be for business and farming in the coming year.

Then it is officially the New Year, which marks the start of the 15-day Spring Festival. Each day has its own significance and associated traditions; some customs may vary between regions and groups.

Day 1: People put on new clothes and wish each other with the greeting ”gongxi” meaning “respectful joy.” It is a day of visits. The oldest and most senior members are visited, as well as other relatives and friends. Guests are welcomed with tea and sweet treats, such as sugared fruits which are supposed to sweeten one’s upcoming year. Sweets and fruits are served on a round or octagonal tray – the form resembling togetherness.  Most likely the amount of sweets will be arranged in eight units, as the number eight symbolises luck. The visitor also carries a small gift for the hosts–usually oranges, tangerines, or mandarins, as the fruit symbolises gold, hence wealth and good fortune.

In some traditions it is believed that abstaining from meat on this day will enhance longevity. A traditional Buddhist vegetarian dish is prepared using eighteen different ingredients, each of which has a symbolic meaning. Eighteen is believed to be a lucky number signifying wealth and prosperity.  There are also temple fairs and activities in parks such as Lion dances and Dragon dances, which are enjoyed by families.

Day 2: This is the day when married women visit their parents, accompanied by their husbands, with gifts and red envelopes for the family.

On this day, people offer sacrifices to the God of Wealth, wishing for a luckier and more prosperous year. People say that after being offered sacrifices, the God of Wealth, leaves for heaven on this day.

Day 3: This is not considered as an auspicious day as it is believed that evil spirits roam around. People avoid visiting friends and relatives and stay at home. Traditionally the house is not swept on the first two days of the New Year so as not to sweep away the good luck accrued by the litter of firecrackers, red paper, wrappers, and other evidence of celebration on the floor. This is the day when the house is swept after New Year’s Eve. There is also a legend that this is the day when rats get married, so people leave some rice in the kitchen as gifts, and sleep early so as not to disturb rats. In return the rats would not disturb the family for the whole year.

Day 4, 5 and 6: People resume visits to friends, relatives and temples. Different regions of China have some variations in the traditions associated with these days. The fourth day is one to honour the God of the Kitchen with the prayer to continue watching over the kitchen. Day five honours the God of Wealth for good fortune. People usually stay at home in case they are visited by the God on this day. It is also the day to light firecrackers to drive away the five bad lucks: of intelligence, learning ability, literacy, life, and relationships.

Day 7: According to a legend, Nuwa the goddess created the world. It is believed that she spent the first six days creating animals. Each day of the festival is also believed to be the birthday of the different animals that she is believed to have created in sequence. On the seventh day she created humans. Thus this is the birthday of humans. The day is celebrated with certain foods. The ingredients of the dishes are healthy and have a symbolic meaning.

Day 8: People normally return to work on the eighth day. As eight is the luckiest number in China, most businesses like to reopen on day 8 of the New Year.

Day 9:  This is the birthday of Jade Emperor, said to be the God of all Heavens. People go to ponds and rivers to pray to the gods with offerings of fragrant flower candles.

Day 10: God of Stone’s birthday and also the birthday of Earth Mother celebrated with sweet pastries.

Day 11: A day for fathers to treat their sons-in-law

Day 12, 13 14: These are quieter days, marking a respite from feasting on rich food, but preparing for the first full moon of the year which marks the Lantern festival.

15th day: Lantern festival or the “first night of the full moon” sees lanterns being put and lit everywhere. People often post riddles on the lanterns. Dumplings, with sweet fillings, resembling the shape of the full moon are traditionally eaten on this day. There is usually another family dinner that marks the close of the two-week celebrations, and the official start of the New Year.

According to the Chinese calendar this is the Year of the Snake and much is being written about it. May the spirit of celebrations that mark this day, continue to brighten every day of the year ahead.

–Mamata

Hymn to the Republic

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

This week the Indian nation will stand proudly as we salute our national flag and celebrate the 76th Republic Day, and the air reverberates with the chorus of Jana Gana Mana. This is the refrain of the national anthem that unites every citizen of the country.

English translation of the stanzas in Tagore’s own handwriting. Source:https://commons.wikimedia.org/

From the time children are in school, the anthem, played and sung on important national days, becomes deeply engrained, often learned by sheer repetition, without really going into what the words mean, and how they came to be conferred the status of a national anthem.

While Jana Gana Mana was declared as the National Anthem of free India on 24 January 1950, its history goes way back. The hymn was originally composed in Bengali, by Rabindranath Tagore, India’s first Nobel laureate, on 11 December 1911. Titled Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata, it consisted of five stanzas. It was first published in a journal called Tatwabodhini Patrika in 1912 under the title Bharat Bidhata. However, it was first sung on Day 2 of the annual session of the Indian National Congress on 27 December 1911, by Saraladevi Chowdhrani along with a group of school students.

The fact that the date of the composition of the hymn coincided with the eve of the coronation of King George V led to rumours that the song was written to honour the British king. This was mainly due to misreporting in the press that confused this song with another song in Hindi Badshah Hamara, which was sung on the same occasion and, in fact, was in praise of the monarch. 

Years later, Tagore himself clarified in a letter dated 10 November 1937, that this was never the case; the song was a tribute to the greatness of India. In his own words (originally in Bengali): A certain high official in His Majesty’s service, who was also my friend, had requested that I write a song of felicitation towards the Emperor. The request simply amazed me. It caused a great stir in my heart.

In response to that great mental turmoil, I pronounced the victory in Jana Gana Mana of that Bhagyo Bidhata [ed. God of Destiny] of India who has from age after age held steadfast the reins of India’s chariot through rise and fall, through the straight path and the curved. That Lord of Destiny, that Reader of the Collective Mind of India, that Perennial Guide, could never be George V, George VI, or any other George.

For the next few years the song continued to be sung on different occasions, but with many regional variations. It still did not have a uniform tune. In February 1919, while on a tour of South India, Tagore took a break to rest at the Theosophical College in Madanapalle, in Andhra Pradesh. Started by Dr Annie Besant, the college was headed by educationist and poet James Cousins. James and his wife, Margaret Cousins who was Vice Principal, used to have informal singing sessions with the college community, every Wednesday night. Tagore also joined the session and asked if he could sing one of his poems in Bengali. This was the first time Tagore himself sang his poem. Margaret Cousins was enthralled, especially with the refrain, Jaya hai, Jaya hai, Jaya hai, Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya hai. She requested Tagore for an English translation, which Tagore did, on the same day, 2 February 1919, while still at the college. He titled it The Morning Song of India. The translated version of the first stanza read: “Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people, dispenser of India’s destiny. Thy name rouses the hearts of the Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat and Maratha, of the Dravida, Orissa and Bengal. It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas, mingles in the music of the Yamuna and Ganges and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Ocean. They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. The saving of all people waits in thy hand, thou dispenser of India’s destiny. Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.’

Margaret Cousins was very taken by the words. Herself a trained musician, she set down the musical notations, and rendered the song with musical instruments, sung by the students. Tagore appreciated the melody, and the efforts in composing it. The college adopted the English version as their prayer song which is sung even today. And from then on, the musical form of the Bengali song also became the tune that we are familiar with today.

While India was still in the struggle for Independence from British rule, Netaji Subhashchandra Bose, who was in Germany, at the founding meeting of the German-Indian Society selected Jana Gana Mana to be played as the national anthem of independent India. It was performed (not sung) by the Hamburg Radio Symphony Orchestra on 11 September 1942.

On the midnight of August 14, 1947, India the Indian Constituent Assembly assembled for the first time as a sovereign body. The session ended with a performance of Jana Gana Mana. The members of the Indian Delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations held at New York in 1947 gave a recording of Jana Gana Mana as the country’s national anthem. The song was played by the house orchestra in front of a gathering consisting of representatives from all over the world.

The first stanza of Jana Gana Mana was officially adopted as India’s National Anthem by the Constituent Assembly of India on January 24, 1950. The formal rendition of the anthem takes approximately 52 seconds to complete.

There is a protocol to be followed in the performance of the anthem as laid down by the Government of India which includes instructions on the correct versions of the anthem; the occasions on which it can be sung or played; the need for paying respect to the anthem by observing proper decorum on such occasion. It is mandated by the Supreme Court of India that all must stand up with properrespect when the National Anthem is being rendered. 

This Republic Day, as we stand and honour the anthem, let us also bow in respect to the rich history that has enabled us to stand as proud citizens of a proud nation today.

–Mamata

Avian Ambassadors: National Birds

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

A news item that President Joe Biden had signed a bill on Christmas Eve 2024 that designated the bald eagle as the national bird of the USA was confusing, to say the least. One had always assumed that this had always been so, given that it was seen on all official US documents, and indeed even the US passport. It turns out that while the bald eagle has been the national symbol since it appeared on a copper cent in 1776, and has been appearing on the Great Seal of the US since 1782, the bird had never been legally recognized as the national bird till 24 December 2024.

Behind this lies an old story. On 4 July 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed whereby the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. Following this it was decided that the new nation should have an official seal. It took three committees and six years before the seal was finalized on20 June 1782. The seal denoted a bald eagle grasping an olive branch and arrows in its talons. The significance of this is explained thus: ”The olive branch and the arrows held in the eagle’s talons denote the power of peace and war. The eagle always casts its gaze toward the olive branch signifying that our nation desires to pursue peace, but stands ready to defend itself”.

The bald eagle lives only in North America and to the people of the newly-born republic this bird was a symbol of courage, strength and freedom. It soon became a cultural and political symbol appearing on official documents, US currency, military insignia, and popular merchandise. Thus the bird remained a national emblem in the US for nearly 250 years, but it had not been officially designated to be the national bird until Congress passed the bill.

Many countries have a national bird. These are usually representative, in one way or another, of the country that they are the designated symbol of. The designation is done in different ways. The approaches range from the official, semi-official or unofficial, ranging from government decrees to popular vote. The choice is usually from among birds that have a high recognition factor.

Some countries in Central and South America have selected flamboyant birds as their national symbols, while some have selected bird species that are unique to their country. Among these are Gautemala’s Resplendent Quetzal and Papua New Guinea’s Raggiana Bird-of-paradise, which are spectacularly colourful. A beautifully matched choice is that of the Cuban Trogon or Tocororo whose colours exactly match the colours of Cuba’s flag. These birds cannot survive in captivity, and thus symbolizes the people’s love of freedom.

Some countries have selected threatened species in the hope to promote their conservation measures, like Bermuda’s Cahow or Bermuda Petrel (endangered) and Cambodia’s Giant Ibis (critically endangered). While Dodo is the unofficial mascot of Mauritius, seen as a symbol everywhere, it is sadly extinct. Thus the country has officially adopted the Mauritius Kestrel as its national bird. This is a rare bird of prey, endemic to the island and its recovery from near extinction (only four known individuals in the wild in 1974) to over 350 kestrels today, is a successful conservation story.  

Some Arab states have also designated other species of falcons as national birds. These birds represent grace, elegance, ability and alertness, and are considered a symbol of bravery. A variety of eagles have been a favoured choice of several countries for these very attributes. These include golden eagle (national bird of Albania, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Scotland, Serbia, and Germany), African fish eagle (Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe), harpy eagle (Panama), Javan hawk-eagle (Indonesia), Philippine eagle (Philippines), and the white-tailed eagle (Poland).

The raptor with the largest wing span in the world, the Andean condor of South America has been designated the national bird by several countries in that continent for its different qualities–Bolivia (for boundary-less pursuit), Chile (for strength), Colombia (for liberty and order), and Ecuador (for power, grandeur, and valour).

Whereas Japan could have adopted the Red-crowned crane as its national bird because of its scientific name Grus japonensis, it has chosen the kiji or Green pheasant. This bird is said to be particularly sensitive to earthquakes, to which Japan is prone. It is also features in many literary works.

Curiously, Grus japonensis was selected to be the national bird of China through an internet survey which was launched by the Chinese Wildlife Animals Protection Association and about 20 news organizations in 2004. The Red-crowned crane was the choice of about 1.3 million Chinese netizens to be the national bird.

Britain was pretty late in the naming of its national bird. In 2015 there was an online poll of over 200,000 people in Britain to vote for a national bird in response to a campaign started by ornithologist David Lindo. From an original list of 60 birds, online voters arrived at a shortlist of 10 birds. The Robin won first place with 34% of the vote, followed by the barn owl and blackbird.  

Another popular vote led to the change in Denmark’s national bird. Till 1984, the Skylark was the national bird, but a poll held by a TV show indicated that the more popular choice was the mute swan. The mute swan’s Danish name (Knopsvanen, literally meaning ‘the knob swan’) refers to the black knob it has over its orange beak. This selection was not based on natural history criteria but rather the association of the bird with Hans Christian Anderson’s famous fairy tale about the ugly duckling that grew into a swan.

Thus there are many reasons and many avenues that make a national bird. Closer to home, there is an interesting tale. In the 1960s the Government of India was encouraged by international bird conservation organisations to select a national bird. It was suggested that this could be a bird species that was in immediate need of protection, and thus attention. The most obvious choice at the time was the Great Indian Bustard that was already endangered then, with less than 1300 individuals in the wild. The famous ornithologist Salim Ali emphasised that this spectacular bird required “an urgent, nation-wide effort” to save it from its impending doom. As the story goes, in this respect, the Bustard was a logical choice. But there was a concern that its name could easily be misspelt or mispronounced, leading to much embarrassment! Whether this is just jest or a fact, it was the peacock which made the title in 1963, not because of its conservation status, but because of its cultural significance, religious and legendary associations, beauty, and widespread distribution in the country. 

–Mamata

Welcoming the New Year

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

Happy New Year! This is the day when many will be recovering from the feasting and celebrating that saw out the old year and ushered in the new. In some parts of the globe it may still be the time that family and friends gather for a New Year dinner. This is also the week when many New Year resolutions are made! Many of these, nowadays, relate to the intentions of going on a diet which eschews certain foods, or one that limits to certain foods. Instead, why not begin the year with some mouth-watering traditions of feasting rather than fasting!

While the entire world collectively celebrates the transition from the old to the new, different cultures and different countries have their own traditions that mark this passage. Food is an important component of these celebrations. Here is look at this interesting smorgasbord of dishes that define the festivities.

In Spain the old year is ushered out with a tradition called Las Doce Uvas de la Suerte or The Twelve Grapes of Luck. As the clock strikes at midnight people mark each chime by eating a single grape. The twelve grapes thus eaten symbolize good luck for each month of the coming year. The tradition dates back to 1909 when there was a surplus harvest of grapes in Spain and people were encouraged to eat extra grapes for luck. The tradition continues to this day; people gather in public squares with bunches of grapes and eat twelve at midnight for good luck through the year.    

Mexico also has a similar twelve grapes tradition where a grape is eaten at each stroke of midnight with a wish for the coming twelve months. New Year’s Day lunch is a family celebration with traditional tamales (corn dough filled with meat, cheese or beans) wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and steamed. The tamales are prepared at family tamaladas (tamale making parties) where the members get together to wrap the tamales. The sweet touch is added by Rosca de Reyes, a ring-shaped bread garnished with candied fruits.

In Japan, New Year’s eve known as Oshogatsu is marked by eating a dish called Toshikoshi Soba, made of buckwheat noodles. These year-end noodles are extra-long, and it is believed that slurping these down without breaking or chewing them will bring longevity to the consumer. Families come together to slurp on the long noodles; it is a ritual that also symbolizes the act of letting go of the hardships of the year gone by, and a positive approach to welcome new opportunities. A New Year’s Day tradition is the exchange of beautiful bento boxes with an assortment of delicacies, each with its special meaning, called Osechi-Ryori, as wishes for health and prosperity in the year ahead.

In South Korea families come together for a meal that includes a soup made with thinly sliced rice cakes. The soup called Tteokguk is believed to symbolize growing a year older, as well as grant good fortune.

Italians feast on lentils and Cotechino (spiced pork sausage) both of which are symbolic. In the past Romans would give a leather bag of legumes to their loved ones with the wish that each lentil would translate to a gold coin in the New Year. Even today, the lentils symbolize wealth and prosperity, and the sausage represents the richness of life. The combination of flavours, and the symbolism makes this a special family meal that ushers in the New Year.

In Greece a special cake called Vasipolita is baked with a coin hidden inside. The cake is shared by family and friends and the one whose slice contains the coin is believed to be lucky, and considered blessed throughout the year. Onions are also a part of the traditional culinary tradition. Greeks believe that the onion’s many layers represent shedding the old to reveal the fresh start of a new year. They also found that even when onions were left alone that they would sprout, which they believed was a sign of rebirth, growth and fertility. Thus the tradition of hanging a bag of onions on the front door.

A similar tradition in Armenia is to bake a large, sweet flat loaf known as tarehats, darin or gata in which is put a single coin or walnut which is baked in the bread. The family member who finds this in their slice is expected to have the best luck that year.

Denmark, Germany and Austria have a tradition of exchanging edible marzipan pigs (made of almond paste and sugar) as tokens of good luck and prosperity in the coming year. Each pig is artfully crafted and it is believed that the more detailed the crafting, the greater the fortune it brings. Once again symbolizing a positive exchange of wishes and goodwill.

In the Netherlands people enjoy oliebollen. Literally meaning ‘oil balls’ these are meant to line the stomach with oil as a shield against the sword attack of a mythical evil goddess. In fact, these are a kind of delicious doughnuts.

In Poland, a popular New Year’s tradition is eating pierogi, a type of dumpling filled with a variety of ingredients like meat, cabbage, mushrooms, or even sweet fillings like fruit. The dish reflects Poland’s rich agricultural traditions and the importance of a good harvest for a successful year. Pierogi are seen as a symbol of good luck, health, and prosperity. In some families, a coin is hidden inside one of the dumplings, and the person who finds it is thought to have a particularly lucky year.

A tradition in Turkey is for people to smash pomegranates in the doorways of their homes. It is believed that that number of seeds that fly out of the fruit indicate how much good fortune will come in the year ahead.

Greece has a similar tradition invoking pomegranates which are believed to be a sign of luck, prosperity and fertility. During the Xmas week households hang pomegranates from their door. On New Year’s Eve all the lights are shut and everyone leaves the house. One member is sent to re-enter the house putting the right foot in first, so that the family gets good fortune all year. This custom is called Podariko which roughly translates to ‘good foot’. Then a second family member takes the pomegranate in their right hand and smashes it against the front door; the greater the number of seeds that spill out, the greater the luck that the New Year will bring.

The Scots have a similar Foot First custom. The first person to enter a household after midnight (the First Footer) brings gifts including traditional ones like shortbread, a rich fruitcake, and whiskey that symbolize abundance and good fortune. The First Footing tradition as it is called blends hospitality with culinary tradition.

In Ireland, bread is an important new year’s food. Buttered bread symbolizes abundance and the absence of hunger. New Year’s Day is known as the Day of Buttered Bread. Another tradition is to wait till the bread from the Xmas week gets stale and hard and the bang it on the walls of the house on New Year’s Day to get rid of bad luck and evil spirits. Perhaps the most significant tradition is setting an additional plate at the dinner table for any loved ones lost in the previous year. 

All these traditions are marked by a sense of common sharing, a feeling of togetherness, and thanksgiving. The dishes, with the combination of sweet and savoury, are a reminder that life has its share of flavours, and that these are best enjoyed with the love and support of family and friends. May the year ahead give us all many opportunities for this.

Wishing for a year of Hope, Peace and Joy.

–Mamata

Christmas Island: Galapagos of the Indian Ocean

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

This week the focus revolves around the numerous facets of Christmas–from festive decorations, to feasts and family gatherings. An appropriate week to share something that does not really share much in common with these facets except for its name. That is Christmas Island; so named because it was first discovered on Christmas day.

The island however may have been there millennia before its formal discovery and christening. A small speck in the Indian Ocean, Christmas Island is the peak of a steep basalt volcanic seamount that rose 5000 metres from the ocean floor about 60 million years ago. Located in the Indian Ocean 2600 km northwest of Perth in Australia and 350 km off Indonesia, this island is today a part of Australian territory. However it has a chequered history of human settlement.

For centuries the small island’s isolated location and its rugged coasts provided a natural barrier to human intrusion. Its sighting was recorded in the charts of British and Dutch navigators in the early seventeenth century. But it was named by Captain William Mynors of the Royal Mary a vessel of the East India Ship Company when his ship approached the island on 25 December 1643; but he was unable to land on the island. The first recorded landing on the island is believed to be by the English ship Cygnet under Captain Swan in 1688.

It was in the 19th century that several explorers visited Christmas Island. Some of these were naturalists who collected plant and animal species from the island which was rich in biodiversity. It was in 1887 during one of these collecting expeditions that the crew of a ship called HMS Egeria also discovered that the island had rich resources of phosphate which was a valuable fertilizer. This led the British to annex the island in 1888. Human settlement of Christmas Island began in 1888, when George Clunies-Ross, the owner of the Cocos Islands, sent his brother Andrew and a small party of Cocos Malay workers to form a settlement at Flying Fish Cove. He did this to pre-empt any other claim to the island’s phosphate resources.

The British leased the island to John Murray, a naturalist who had first predicted the presence of phosphates and George Clunies-Ross who initiated the first settlement on the island. Together the two set up the Christmas Island Phosphate Company which started mining and exporting phosphate from the island from 1900. The operation needed a large labour force for which they brought in Chinese, Malays and Sikhs as indentured migrant labourers. These were the early settlers who, over time, grew into a multicultural community. However at that time these workers lived in appalling conditions, and in the early years, hundreds of them died from beri-beri caused by malnutrition. But conditions gradually improved and the island’s phosphate industry continued to flourish in the period till the First World War, with Japan as the biggest customer.

During the Second World War, the island was targeted by the Japanese who wanted to capture the phosphate deposits. In 1942 Japanese troops took over the island and the phosphate mining provided rich fertilizer for the Japanese Empire. The island was an arena for several acts of war between the Allied and the Japanese forces until 1945 when Japan surrendered. The island was re-occupied by the British in October 1945.

The Australian and New Zealand governments purchased the Christmas Island Phosphate Company in 1949, and administrative responsibility for the island shifted from the UK to the British colony of Singapore. When Britain was giving up many of its colonies after World War II Australia expressed an interest in acquiring Christmas Island. In 1958, sovereignty of the island was transferred to Australia. As part of the transfer, Australia paid Singapore £2,800,000 as compensation for lost phosphate revenue. Christmas Island became an Australian Territory on 1 October 1958. This day is celebrated on the island as Territory Day.

The centuries of mining and exploitation for phosphate had left huge scars on this island which with its unique geology supported rare species of endemic plants and animals not found anywhere else. Many of the flora and fauna unique to this ecosystem had reached the point of being endangered. In the 1970s it was realized that this exploitation could have a serious impact on the Abbot’s booby a bird that nests only on Christmas Island. In 1974 a committee recommended that conservation of such endangered species was critical. This resulted, in 1980, in the creation of a national park on the south-western part of the island. This was further expanded in 1986 and 1989 to create the Christmas Island National Park. Today the park extends over 64% of the island’s land area as well as extending 50 metres offshore. The area protects rainforests, wetlands, freshwater mangroves, sea cliffs and coral reefs, each harbouring a rich diversity of life.

Red crab migration on Christmas Island

Perhaps the most significant of this is the great variety of crabs that have earned it the sobriquet as the kingdom of crabs. Among these crustaceans is the enormous robber crab, and the red crabs whose annual migration from the rainforest to the ocean in an unforgettable spectacle. Every year, millions of red crabs move from Christmas Island’s interior rainforests to the ocean to breed and lay eggs. A single female can lay up to 100,000 eggs. Red crabs must keep their bodies moist, so they wait for the rainy season to provide conditions that are ideal for the difficult journey. During migration, red crabs climb over and around obstacles in their way, following the same migration paths every year. 

The island’s 80 km coastline is an almost continuous sea cliff rising up to 20 metres in height. In a few places the cliff descends to shallow bays with sand and coral shingle beaches. The island is surrounded by a narrow circling reef teeming with swarms of tropical fish species. Dolphin, whale sharks, turtles and manta rays are easy to spot.  Today Christmas Island has become a naturalist’s paradise. Often described as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean, Christmas Island has replaced phosphate mining with ecotourism. A heartening case of exploitation transformed into caring conservation.

–Mamata

Colours of the Year

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

This is the time of year to look back upon the months gone by, of the highlights and the nadirs that marked the passage of time. Of the many exercises that have become a regular part of this stock-taking is the announcement of the Words of the Year by different dictionaries. Meena has just described the history, as well as the process for this selection.

There is another announcement that is perhaps not as much noticed. That is the one of the Colour of the Year. This selection is not the outcome of as long, and oftentimes, as participatory a process that the different dictionaries undertake prior to the announcement of the Word of the Year; and perhaps its history does not date as far back. The Colour of the Year is declared by the Pantone Company which is best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS). This is a colour order system used in a variety of industries including graphic design fashion design product design and printing. Today Pantone has become the worldwide standard for selecting communicating and matching colours.

Pantone began as a commercial printing company of the Levine brothers, two advertising executives in 1950, in New Jersey. In 1956 the Levine brothers hired Lawrence Herbert who used his knowledge of chemistry to systematically order and simplify the company’s stock of pigments and production of coloured inks. By 1962, Herbert was running the ink and printing division, and was able to buy out the original owners. He renamed the company Pantone which was a combination of the words Pan (meanng All) and Tone (meaning colour).

The company’s primary products include the Pantone Guides, which consist of a large number of small (approximately 6×2 inches or 15×5 cm) cardboard or plastic sheets, printed on one side with a series of related swatches of colours in different shades and tones. Pantone colours are described by their allocated number (For example, PMS 130). The samples are bound into a deck that opens out into a fan.   

The idea behind the PMS is to allow designers to “colour match” specific colours when a design enters production stage, regardless of the equipment used to produce the colour. This system has been widely adopted by graphic designers and reproduction and printing houses. The standardization of colours is very helpful because different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colours match.  

The idea of declaring a Colour of the Year was initiated by the Pantone Colour Institute in 1999 as a way to mark the entry into a new millennium, and in keeping with Pantone’s belief that colour “has always been an integral part of how a culture expresses the attitudes and emotions of the times”.

The colour selected each year was envisaged as one that captured a moment in time, tapped into collective values, and heralded the year ahead. It was also meant to reflect people’s changing attitudes and aspirations. Thus it is not randomly selected but an outcome of research that finds its way into discussions by representatives from various nation’s colour standards groups. These are at secret meetings hosted twice a year by Pantone in a European capital. The colours are chosen after two days of deliberations. With a database of thousands of colours at their fingertips, Pantone’s challenge is to narrow down a colour family and explore within it to find a hue that best expresses a widespread feeling. As the company says “We don’t simply come up with our thoughts about it; we look into our research and see what people are telling us they’re looking for.” The results of the meeting are published in Pantone View, which fashion designers, florists, and many other consumer-oriented companies purchase to help guide their designs and planning for future products.

Pantone’s Colour of the year 2024 was Peach Fuzz which was described as a light, delicate shade between pink and orange. The soft hue expresses the desire to nurture kindness, compassion, and connection. All of this helps foster a peaceful future and everlasting cosiness.

In 2024 more than ever before the world needed to be reminded of these qualities which alas were sadly lacking.

However continuing its hopeful optimism Pantone has just announced its colour for the Year 2025. It is a shade of brown that is called Mocha Mousse which, as the company reminds us, is all about thoughtful indulgence. The warm shade reflects a desire for nourishment in every facet of our lives, especially through simple pleasures like morning coffee, a chocolate treat, or taking a walk. And it’s not solely about treating ourselves but also the possibility of sharing those sweet moments with others. 

While fashion designers and architects play around with the colours of the year, for every one of us, Nature is the best reminder that every colour has its own shade and season. All we need to do is look around and marvel at its unmatchable palette.

And who better to remind us of this than the gentle author Ruskin Bond.

The Colours of Life are Everywhere

Colours are everywhere,

Bright blue the sky,

Dark green the forest,

And light the fresh grass;

Bright yellow the lights

From a train sweeping past,

The flame tree glow

At this time of year,

The mangoes burn bright

As the monsoon draws near.

A favourite colour of mine

Is the pink of the candy-floss man

As he comes down the dusty road,

Calling his wares;

And the balloon-man soon follows,

Selling his floating bright colours.

It’s early summer

And the roses blush

In the dew-drenched dawn,

And poppies sway red and white

In the invisible breeze.

Only the wind has no colour;

But if you look carefully

You will see it teasing

The colour out of the leaves.

And the rain has no colour

But it turns the bronzed grass

To emerald green,

And gives a golden sheen

To the drenched sunflower.

Look for the colours of life –

They are everywhere,

Even in your dreams.

–Mamata

A Brush With History

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

A survey in America in 2003 asked people which of the following inventions would be the hardest to live without: the automobile, the personal computer, the cell phone, the microwave, and the toothbrush. The more recent inventions trailed the list; the century-old automobile came in second, and the five-century-old toothbrush came in first!

This week Meena took a walk through the history of walking sticks. Continuing a look at things that aid, and starting at the head rather than the legs, here’s looking back at the object that we start and end our day with—the toothbrush!

But cleaning teeth did not wait till the discovery of the toothbrush. From the earliest times, people used to chew on a piece of twig until it softened and became frayed. This process helped to not only reach crevices where particles hid, but also released juices in the mouth which performed the task that toothpastes do now (not to mention the regular work out for the jaws!) Twigs from aromatic shrubs or trees were also built-in mouth freshening!  Even today neem and babool twigs continue to be used by many. While one end of the twig was frayed by chewing, the other end could be niftily carved into a toothpick to pick at the more stubborn bits wedged between the teeth.  

Such tooth cleaning tools date back to 3500-3000 BC, to early Babylonians and Egyptians. Toothsticks these have been discovered as part of burial artifacts in Egyptian tombs, to enable the departed persons tooth cleaning routine even in the afterlife.

Different cultures had other cleaning techniques. Some used a rag dipped in sulfur oil or a saline solution to wipe teeth. Another practice was to just rub baking soda (sodium bicarbonate is still an ingredient in toothpastes) directly onto the teeth.

The transition from a ‘make your own bristles by chewing’ implement to the toothbrush in its early form as we know it is believed to be the invention of the Chinese in the 15th century. Using a piece of bone or bamboo, they attached, at right angles to this, stiff coarse bristles from the back of a hog’s neck, and voila! You could reach the difficult to reach crevices in the mouth, and also actually brush your teeth rather than chew with them.  

News of this nifty device reached Europe via commercial travellers during the middle ages. But it was difficult to replicate because the Siberian hog’s hair which was ideally stiff and coarse was not available; and the horsehair used as a substitute was not stiff enough.

The story goes that an Englishman named William Addis who was jailed for inciting a riot spent his time in prison experimenting with alternatives to cleaning teeth by the prevalent method of rubbing them with a rag covered in soot and salt. Addis carved a handle out of a small bone, drilled holes into it, and inserted tufts of boar bristles which were held in place by glue. He had found his replacement for the soot and rag!

After his release Addis began importing coarse boar bristles from the cold climates of Siberia and northern China. His design and the combination proved so successful that, in 1780 he founded a company called Addis to mass produce these brushes, and became a very wealthy man. The company continues to be in the brush business till today.

The expanding market gave rise to innovations in design and material. The single or double row of bristles gave way to a three-row brush with serrated bristles, and Meyer Rhein patented this design in 1844. The Chinese civil war in the latter 1800s, and later the Japanese invasion of China made it increasingly difficult to procure the boar bristles. The invention of a nylon, new synthetic material in the mid-1930s provided a timely alternative to natural bristles. This invention began a new phase in the history of the toothbrush with Dr West’s Miracle Tuft Toothbrush in 1938, the first such toothbrush with nylon bristles. And the rest, as they say is history.

While the material of the handle and the bristles continues to be plastic and nylon, today toothbrushes come in a mouth-boggling range of shapes and sizes. Handles that are straight, angled, and contoured with a variety of grips; and bristles ranging from hard to extra-soft offer something to fit every tooth. While the fundamentals of their design have not changed since the time of the Egyptians and Babylonians, today toothbrushes, like all products are marketed with labels such as ‘ergonomically designed’ to ‘dentist endorsed’.  

Even more heavily dentist-endorsed are the mouth-watering choices in toothpastes. We have come a long way from sooty rags as mouth-cleaning agents. It is believed that mouth cleaning and freshening agents were in use even before the invention of toothbrushes. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, as well as people in China and India used a variety of ingredients to keep teeth and gums clean, as well as for whitening teeth and freshening breath. These included powdered charcoal and bark, as well as a powder of ox hooves, ashes and burnt eggshells which added abrasiveness. The Chinese added mouth-freshening components such as ginseng, herbs, mints and salt.

Before the 1850s these mouth cleaners were in powder form. Early versions of these in paste form contained soap, and in the 1850s chalk was included in the composition. During the 1850s, a new toothpaste in a jar called a Crème Dentifrice was developed; in 1873 Colgate started the mass production of toothpaste in jars. The late 1880s saw another breakthrough in toothpaste manufacturing with the invention of toothpaste tubes; making it easier to carry, and to use.  Colgate introduced its toothpaste in a tube similar to modern-day toothpaste tubes in the 1890s. Today toothpaste is always associated with the tube.

The formula of toothpaste underwent changes over time. Soap, which was initially used in toothpaste, was later replaced by other ingredients like sodium lauryl sulphate (which continues to be an ingredient in most toothpastes). This transition led to gentler toothpaste options and a wider variety of flavours.

In the second half of the twentieth century modern toothpastes were developed to help prevent or treat specific diseases and conditions such as tooth sensitivity. Fluoride toothpastes to help prevent decay were introduced in 1914. Toothpastes with very low abrasiveness were also developed, and helped prevent the problems caused by overzealous brushing. Each of these is heavily advertised and endorsed by professional ‘oral health specialists’. The new trend in toothpastes is the return to natural organic ingredients to replace the chemical components. Perhaps a return to its origins, albeit in ‘brand’-new avatars!

–Mamata

Ruby Bridges Walk

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment
Photo: https://theafricanhistory.com/2375

Last week my grandnephew went on a Ruby Bridges Walk with his schoolmates in California. The seven-year old also gave a stirring little speech about why Ruby Bridges was special. This was the first time that I was hearing about Ruby Bridges and I was immediately curious to know more. As I discovered, her story is indeed inspiring.

Ruby Bridges was only six years old when she made history as the first Black child to enter an all-white school in the southern state of New Orleans in America. This was not as far back as the 19th century but as recent as 1960. America was far from being an integrated society. There was blatant racism and discrimination based on the colour of the skin, and segregation, both by law and custom was the norm. Both socially and politically, African Americans were relegated to the status of second-class citizens. Restaurants, schools, businesses and other parts of the community especially in the Southern states were segregated at that time.

In 1954, as an outcome of the Brown vs. Board of Education case, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. This milestone decision signalled the end of legalized racial segregation in the schools of the United States. However, the implementation of this was not as smooth; states struggled to put integration into practice.

Ruby Bridges was born on September 8, 1954, the year of this landmark ruling. Her parents were at the time working as sharecroppers in Tylertown, Mississippi. Two years later her family moved to New Orleans in Louisiana for better prospects. When Ruby started kindergarten the state still had segregated schools; the school board and the state’s lawmakers defied the court order and resisted school desegregation, until a federal court ordered Louisiana to desegregate and ruled that schools were to allow both Black and white students to attend.

The city of New Orleans responded by creating entrance exams for African American students to see whether they could compete academically. Ruby was one of the only six students (all girls) who passed the test, and was eligible to attend the so-far all-white William Franz Elementary School. Of the other five eligible children two families opted to keep their children at their old school, and three were transferred to another school. Ruby was the only one to be joining William Frantz School. Her parents needed to take a big decision, knowing that it would be difficult in many ways. Ruby’s father was hesitant to send his daughter, but her mother believed that it was important for the family to take that step — not just for Ruby herself, but for the children who would come after her. Also she was keen that Ruby should get the educational opportunities that generations of her family had been denied.

A judicial order dictated that New Orleans schools be integrated by November 14, 1960, so that would be six-year-old Ruby’s first day at school. Many years later Ruby recalled how, on that day, her mother dressed her in a new outfit and told her to behave herself, and not to be afraid. She told her that there would be a lot of people outside, but that she would accompany her to school. As it turned out, the scene was a lot different. There were crowds of people all the way to school, shouting insults and throwing things, to protest against the integration. Young Ruby innocently thought that this was not unusual, as she was familiar with the crowds and noise that marked the Mardi Gras festival in New Orleans. But this was not a festive crowd. The threat was so acute that four federal marshals had to escort Ruby and her mother to school, not just on November 14, but every day of the school year. The atmosphere in the school remained largely hostile. Angry white parents protested and some even withdrew their children from the school. Several teachers also resigned as they refused to teach Black students. For a six-year old going to a strange school accompanied by officers of the law, Ruby showed remarkable courage, marching like a little soldier.

Ruby was the only student in her class for the whole school year, she ate lunch alone and had no friends. But she never gave up attending school, and never missed a day. She was lucky to have Barbara Henry, who had recently moved from Boston, to be her teacher. She took classes as if she were talking to a whole class, and remained Ruby’s friend, support and mentor all through this year. When Ruby returned the next year for second grade, more African-American students had joined the school. Ruby was the pioneer who single-handedly paved the way for this.

The family too had to bear the consequences. Her father lost his job as a gas station attendant, and her sharecropping grandparents were turned off their land. Even the grocery store where the family shopped turned them away. But inspired by their daughter’s courage and perseverance, the family retained its dignity even in the face of such blatant discrimination.

Ruby Bridges continued to study at the William Frantz School until she graduated. She was followed by more Black children whose path was clearer and less difficult than hers had been. After graduation Ruby became a travel agent and had the opportunity to travel widely. She also raised a family of four sons. She continues to support her old school, helping with creating new programmes and championing its causes in all ways. Following severe damage in the 2005 Hurricane Katrina she got the school placed on the National Register of Historic Places, which guaranteed its restoration and preservation.

Ruby had not realized, at the age of six years that she was a path-breaker who helped break many barriers; but she grew up to be a life-long activist for racial equality. Over time she became an icon for desegregation. In 1999 she established the Ruby Bridges Foundation which stands for the “values, tolerance, respect, and appreciation of all differences”. She wrote about her early experiences in a book Through My Eyes. She was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2001. Even today, Ruby Bridges continues to strive for an end to racism.

A few years ago students in California who heard her story felt that there needed to be a way to commemorate Ruby’s pioneering efforts. They proposed this to the State legislature which decided that the state of California would mark November 14 as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day every year. Thus this day is an annual day of dialogue where students discuss and take part in their own forms of activism to end racism and all forms of bullying. India celebrates Children’s Day on 14 November. Perhaps Ruby’s story is a reminder that many forms of discrimination and bullying affect our children even today. 20 November is also an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. A good week to remember Ruby Bridges’ assertion that “All of us are standing on someone else’s shoulders. Someone else that opened the door and paved the way. And so, we have to understand that we cannot give up the fight, whether we see the fruits of our labor or not. You have a responsibility to open the door to keep this moving forward”.

Thank you Manzil for introducing me to Ruby Bridges!

–Mamata

A Day for Donkeys: Vautha Fair

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

For an animal that is usually the brunt of jokes, or the joker on the animal pack, this is the one occasion when the donkey is in the limelight. The Donkey Fair revolves around donkeys, and marks an important event in the local calendar of Gujarat. Held annually at Vautha, the fair goes back hundreds of years, and even today attracts large crowds.

The event occurs on the full-moon night of the lunar month of Kartik (October-November), which begins after Diwali. Kartik Purnima is considered as an auspicious day and is celebrated by different communities in India in different ways. A common ritual is taking a holy bath in a river. As per Hindu mythology, it is believed that this is the day on which Hindu Gods came down to earth to take a dip in a river, and even today, those who take holy dips in rivers receive the blessings of all gods, and their sins are washed away.

One such site is at Vautha in Gujarat, located near Dholka, about 50 km from  Ahmedabad. Vautha is located at the confluence of the rivers Sabarmati and Vatrak. The confluence is also called sapta sangam, which means the meeting of seven rivers. It is at Vautha that the Vatrak river merges with the smaller rivers Meshwo, Hathmati, Shedhi, Majum and Khari with the Vautha, which in turn merges with the Sabarmati.

The history of the fair goes back almost five hundred years. There are many local legends associated with it. One legend attributes the fair’s origins to the time when the sage Vashishta is believed to have performed a yagna at the confluence of the rivers. Another one claims that Vautha is one of the sites that the Pandavas stopped by at during their exile.

Legend also has it that Kartikeya or Kartik, the son of Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati visited this site on this full moon night. To mark this, an annual fair dedicated to Kartikeya is held on Kartik Purnima. Thousands of pilgrims from all castes and communities and professions throng here for a holy dip, and the festive atmosphere is highlighted by a fair.

The fair is a vibrant event with numerous stalls selling local food, handicrafts, and lots of other attractive ware. It is enlivened by music and local theatre performances and folk dances. There are rides and varied exciting activities. This is a major social and cultural event that villagers from far and near look forward to all year.

What makes this fair unique is that this is the major animal trading fair in Gujarat where the main animals traded are donkeys, although there is also some trade in camels, horses and goats. It is believed that this is an auspicious time for buying and selling animals.

Farmers and traders from all over India bring donkeys to the fair. The animals are painted with coloured patterns and make for an attractive sight. However the buying and selling is serious business. Donkeys are closely examined to verify breed, build, fitness and health. Scrutiny of the teeth is an important part of the process. There is usually an auction to boost to competition and the prices which can range from 7,000 to 17,000 rupees or more.  

Several different breeds of donkeys make their way to this auction. Each has its own characteristics and uses. Halari donkeys from Saurashtra are white in colour and of docile temperament. They are used as pack animal during pastoralist migration, being able to walk 30-40 km a day; and also to pull carts. Kuchchhi donkeys from Kuchchh are grey, white, brown or black in colour. They are sturdy and can carry 80-100 kg and pull 200-300 kg on carts. They are used as pack animals during migration, and also for weed removal on farms. Sindhi donkeys from Barmer and Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan are brown in colour can carry 1000-1500 kg and are used as pack animals to transport water, soil, earthenware, construction material, and fodder; as well as for pulling carts and for ploughing by small and marginal farmers. There are also donkeys from Marwad as well as other local breeds from other parts of India.

While thousands of donkeys continue to be brought and traded at this largest donkey fair, studies indicate that there is a steady decline in the donkey population in India. Increasing mechanization has replaced the need for donkeys for transporting material and as pack animals. This is also a factor for replacing donkeys in farm work. Traditional donkey-raising and herding families are moving to new occupations as demand for donkeys is going down, and the cost of maintaining the animals rises. There are also no specific government schemes or policies that promote the animal or its welfare. Donkeys are being abandoned when they are too old or feeble for hard labour. Even in Ladakh which has a tradition of donkey rearing, there is a decreasing role for donkeys in local occupations and uses. A donkey conservation park has been opened here in collaboration with communities where stray or abandoned donkeys are kept with dignity.   

In the meanwhile the donkeys still have their day at Vautha. And this year it falls on 15 November.

–Mamata

A Pre-Titanic Disaster: SS Vaitarna

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

112 years after the tragedy, April 15 is still marked as the day the RMS Titanic sank. This is remembered as the biggest maritime disaster of all times. The largest and most luxurious ship in the world at the time, The Titanic was also one of the most technologically advanced for its time; its 16 watertight compartments were believed to make the ship unsinkable. But just four days into its maiden voyage, the Titanic struck an iceberg near Newfoundland, Canada, damaging its watertight compartments. Only hours after the collision the ship sank, taking 1500 passengers with her.  

SS Vaitarna

Not many are aware that twenty years before this tragedy, another ship had mysteriously vanished, taking along with her, more than a thousand people. And this little known event occurred along the coast of Gujarat in India on 8 November 1888.

The ship was SS Vaitarna, one of the earliest steamships operating on the west coast of India. It was named after the Vaitarna River which flows north of Mumbai, but was built by the Grangemouth Dockyard Co. Ltd in Scotland. It took three years to build. The 170 feet long steamer had three floors and 25 cabins. Its value was estimated to be 10,000 pounds, and it was insured for 4,500 pounds. Its maiden voyage from Scotland involved sailing around Africa to Karachi its first destination.

The Vaitarna was owned by A.J. Shepherd & Co. in Bombay. The captain of the ship was Haji Cassum, a zamindar from Kuchchh who owned large tracts of land around Mumbai.

The ship started sailing in 1885 and was used mainly for carrying cargo and passengers between the Mandvi port in Kuchchh and Bombay. Vaitarna was far from the luxury liner that the Titanic would be two decades later. But it had something that was a great novelty for the time—electricity! The ship was lit with electric bulbs, long before external lighting was made mandatory for safe navigation at sea. This was such a unique feature that the local people dubbed the ship Vijli (the Gujarati word for electricity or lightning). The lighted ship attracted scores of visitors when it used to come to Mumbai; sightseers were charged two rupees for the viewing.

Vijli regularly plied between Mandvi in Kuchchh and Bombay, ferrying passengers and goods. It took 30 hours to cover the distance, and the passenger fare was eight rupees.

On 8 November 1888, the ship was anchored at Mandvi port. At noon that day it set sail for Dwarka with 520 passengers on board. About 200 more passengers are believed to have boarded at Dwarka before the ship left for Porbandar. But as the weather was turning stormy the ship did not stop at Porbandar but headed directly for Bombay. The storm gained strength and the seas were choppy. That evening the ship was seeing off the coast of Mangrol, but that was the last sighting. Vijli never reached Mumbai. The next day SS Vaitarna was declared missing with all the passengers on board. The passengers included 13 wedding parties and a number of students who were on their way to Mumbai to appear for their matriculation exams.

While it is known that there were at least 700 passengers, plus about 40 crew members, the exact number of casualties could never be ascertained. It was common practice for ships to load far beyond their normal capacity. It has been speculated that ship could have been carrying as many as 1200 passengers.

No wreck of the ship nor remains of the passengers were ever found. Unlike the Titanic, SS Vaitarna had no survivors. The first attempt to locate the remains were by the ship SS Savitri. Its captain Mahomedbhoy Dawood, had been a friend of Haji Cassum for many years; he knew Cassum to be a careful navigator.

The cause of the wreck has also remained a mystery. A Marine Court of Inquiry was set up by the Bombay Presidency to investigate. It pointed out that the ship did not have enough lifeboats, and was not adequately equipped with safety measures. Generally the ships in this region were not designed to ply on stormy seas. They would travel along the coast from port to port during the non-monsoon seasons, and would remain moored in harbour during the rainy season. But November is not the monsoon season in the Arabian Sea.  

However another report by the then government of India claimed that the ship was in good condition and all its machinery was in good order, and that it was fully equipped and sufficiently manned. It would have taken a cyclonic storm to capsize it.

Whatever the cause, the effect was the total and complete disappearance of SS Vaitarna. However this disaster led to the realization about the need for relaying early credible forecasts about storms and led to several reforms in India’s shipbuilding and navigation systems.

No compensation was given to the families of the missing passengers. After the initial attempts at searching for the wreckage, the curtains were drawn. While the sinking of the Titanic continues to evoke interest and discussion even a century later, this early, and just as tragic, shipwreck has almost been forgotten in the annals of shipping history. The Lloyd’s Register of London recorded only one word against SS Vaitarna: Missing. 

The Vaitarna tragedy however became a part of the lore of Saurashtra. Even today stories and songs commemorate Vijli and her captain Haji Cassum.

–Mamata